What are you going do with all those leftover candy canes from Christmas? How about a delicious treat you can make for New Year’s Day? You are going to adore this recipe for Baked Peppermint Chocolate Donuts. These chocolate homemade donuts are not only easy to make but they are gluten free and baked so they are healthier than fried donuts. 

Peppermint Chocolate Donuts

I’m a huge fan of candy canes and I love them even more when mixed with chocolate. Especially when you sprinkle crushed candy canes over the sinful chocolate frosting. The end result is festive. These beautiful donuts are almost too pretty to eat.

Tips for Making Baked Donuts in Advance

These donuts can be made in advance and turn out well.

• Place donuts in the refrigerator up to 2 days before frosting and consuming.
• To freeze, wrap unfrosted donuts individually with plastic wrap and place them in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 2 months.
• If you’re freezing frosted donuts, place them in the freezer in a single layer first for 1 hour to allow the frosting to harden. Then wrap them individually or stack them in bags separated by parchment paper.
• Transfer frozen donuts to the fridge the night before you want to consume them. Or, place them on the counter to allow them to come to room temperature before enjoying.
• You may also place them in the microwave and use the defrost setting for a minute or two.

Baked Peppermint Chocolate Donuts (Gluten Free)

Yields: 6-8 donuts

Prep: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes

Donut Ingredients:

1 cup gluten free all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
¾ cup milk of choice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Topping: ½ cup crushed peppermints or candy canes

Chocolate Frosting Ingredients:

1.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted
1-2 tablespoons milk of choice
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a donut baking pan generously with cooking spray and set aside.
   In a large mixing bowl, add gluten free flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.
2. Add milk, vanilla extract, peppermint extract and unsalted melted butter to the bowl. Mix well to incorporate.
3. Transfer the donut batter into a sandwich bag and snip off a large corner of the bag. Pipe the batter into the donut pan, filling each cavity ¾ full.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
5. Use a butter knife to loosen up the donuts from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack placed over the top of a baking sheet.
6. To make the icing: melt the butter in a small bowl. Add sifted powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Mix until smooth. Add additional milk (1 tablespoon at a time) until desired consistency is reached.
7. Dip each donut into the chocolate frosting. Dip a second time for a thicker layer of icing. Place frosted donuts on cooling rack and allow the excess frosting to drip off onto the baking sheet below. Sprinkle crushed peppermints or candy canes on top and enjoy!

Notes:

The donut pan used for this recipe can be found here.
Donuts can be made in advance and turn out well. See tips above!

Yield: 8

Baked Peppermint Chocolate Donuts

Print

These decadent peppermint chocolate donuts are gluten free and can be made in advance.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

Donut Ingredients:

• 1 cup gluten free all-purpose flour
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¾ cup milk of choice
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• Topping: ½ cup crushed peppermints or candy canes

Chocolate Frosting Ingredients:

• 1.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1-2 tablespoons milk of choice
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a donut baking pan generously with cooking spray and set aside.
   
2. In a large mixing bowl, add gluten free flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.
   
3. Add milk, vanilla extract, peppermint extract and unsalted melted butter to the bowl. Mix well to incorporate.
   
4. Transfer the donut batter into a sandwich bag and snip off a large corner of the bag. Pipe the batter into the donut pan, filling each cavity ¾ full.
   
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
   
6. Use a butter knife to loosen up the donuts from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack placed over the top of a baking sheet.
   
7. To make the icing: melt the butter in a small bowl. Add sifted powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Mix until smooth. Add additional milk (1 tablespoon at a time) until desired consistency is reached.
   
8. Dip each donut into the chocolate frosting. Dip a second time for a thicker layer of icing. Place frosted donuts on cooling rack and allow the excess frosting to drip off onto the baking sheet below. Sprinkle crushed peppermints or candy canes on top and enjoy!

Notes

The donut pan used for this recipe can be found here

Donuts can be made in advance and turn out well:

• Place donuts in the refrigerator up to 2 days before frosting and consuming.
• To freeze, wrap unfrosted donuts individually with plastic wrap and place them in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 2 months.
  
• If you’re freezing frosted donuts, place them in the freezer in a single layer first for 1 hour to allow the frosting to harden. Then wrap them individually or stack them in bags separated by parchment paper.
  
• Transfer frozen donuts to the fridge the night before you want to consume them. Or, place them on the counter to allow them to come to room temperature before enjoying. You may also place them in the microwave and use the defrost setting for a minute or two.

You may also like to try more holiday recipes like How to Make Adorable Snowman Chocolate Bark Holiday Candy and Holiday Christmas Lights Cupcakes: Easy As 1-2-3! 

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